"Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare" was a major improvement over its predecessor "Call of Duty: Ghosts". Made by Sledgehammer Games and released in Nov. 2014, "Advanced" was a surprise in the sense that it was the best COD game in years. More satisfying than "Black Ops II" and more inventive than "Modern Warfare 3", this was the best the franchise had been since the original BLOPS (2010). It also marked the first time Activision had used the likeness of a major Hollywood actor. In this case, it was Kevin Spacey that played the lead villain, echoing his character from "House of Cards". The big innovation in "Advanced" were the exo-suits that resembled the one that Matt Damon wore in "Elysium". They sped up the multiplayer gameplay considerably and were a major aspect in the well-made (if a bit conventional) campaign.
On a personal note, "Advanced Warfare" was the first Xbox One game I ever played and I was instantly wowed by its graphics. The visuals are quite astounding for an early XB1 title. The futuristic tech is also quite amazing and I found it amusing that the sticky gloves from the single-player are straight out of "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol". There are also a few nods to the original "Modern Warfare" in the campaign. While the multiplayer benefits from a faster pace due to the exo-suits, "Titanfall" is an overall better experience. Unfortunately, the survival mode in "Advanced Warfare" isn't as good as the one featured in "Modern Warfare 3", though it supports four player co-op. Also, the exo-skeleton zombie maps are inferior to the previous zombies that were developed by Treyarch. More basic in both design and challenge, they are fun to play, but never do feel like the "real" thing. However, I do prefer them to Extinction from "Ghosts".
Being the first "Call of Duty" fully developed by Sledgehammer Games and the first all-out futuristic entry in the series, "Advanced Warfare" could've been another "Ghosts". Thankfully, it proved to be the anti-"Ghosts". While it's not a masterpiece like "Modern Warfare" or as terrific as "Black Ops", this was the COD game that evolved the series. The campaign is entertaining, the multiplayer is enjoyable and the zombies are....okay. As much of a surprise this game was, Treyarch managed to top it (if barely) with their massive "Black Ops III". Overall, I'd give "Advanced" an 8.3 out of 10.